Temptation
by Kay Hau
Summary: DeSoni gets the chance of a lifetime. To forget all his pain and guilt, once and for all. The catch? The method to forgetting… involves a deal with a certain dark faerie.
1. Chapter 1

Freak. Midget. Weakling. Traitor. Monster. Fool.

I've been called a lot of things in my life. Unfortunately, to some degree or other, they're all true.

Many of them weren't my fault. I couldn't help being a freak. I was born an Alien Aisha with only two earstalks instead of the usual four. And it certainly wasn't my fault I was a midget. I simply never grew beyond the height most of my peers reached by nine solar years. As for weakling – well, I'm just not a fighter. No interest, even less ability.

But the rest of my titles were my doing. Betraying my people to side with Neopians. Creating a potion meant to give superpowers, but that ended up mutating Neopets into terribly warped forms and destroying their minds. Thinking I had full control of a situation when I didn't even understand a fraction of the what and who behind it…

I carry a burden of my own making. Spun of my own foolish, juvenile pride and ignorance. One I'll never be freed of.

I'll never live it down. I don't have the right.

* * *

><p>The door to my Fix-It shop swung open and a pretty Usuki Usul skipped in. She smiled happily at me and checked a piece of paper in her paw.<p>

"Mr. DeSoni? My friends told me all about you! Said you can fix anything?"

"Pretty much, miss," I responded, smiling easily. It was always nice to meet normal customers like this, especially referrals. For one, they weren't surprised at the owner being a tiny yellow Aisha the size of an elementary neoschooler.

She fished around in her fuzzy purple and green purse before pulling out a bizarre looking ring with a huge purple stone. "Setting's coming loose. My petpet won't leave it alone."

She handed it to me and I weighed it in my palm before examining it closer to my eyes. "Seems fine to…"

It suddenly seemed to melt and equip itself to my right paw.

"WHAT?" I exclaimed, yanking on it. It wouldn't come off. It wouldn't come off!

The Usuki Usul laughed and suddenly a sickly green and purple smoke swirled around her. It dispersed as quickly as it had appeared, revealing Jhudora herself standing before me.

Wonderful. A dark faerie. It just _had_ to be a dark faerie.

"Consider yourself lucky, Derek Sonix. I'm very selective who I hand out my personal rings to."

I ignored her, or rather pretended to, while I continued yanking desperately at the ring.

"It affixes itself to you through your own dark thoughts and emotions. My rings are especially fond of those who have committed unspeakable and unforgivable crimes.

I froze in mid-yank.

"I know all about XG12C. After all, Dr. Sloth and I are on fairly good terms."

She bent over and lifted my head up to meet her eyes. Hers had a weird purplish glow to them that was completely hypnotic. I actually felt my mind glazing over as her eyes locked with mine and _held_.

"No matter what those other goody-two-shoe faeries have told you, you know the truth as well as I. You're an enemy of all Neopians. You're directly responsible for one of the most tragic events in Neopian history."

I couldn't look away. I couldn't. Her words rang over and over in my mind, each time crushing my heart just a little bit more.

My fault. All my fault.

She leaned closer, her eyes glowing even brighter. "Don't worry. Soon it won't bother you. You'll never have nightmares again. Derek Sonix will finally move forward…"

I felt dizzy. Surely that couldn't be true… It sounded far too _good _to be true… But something wouldn't let me _not_ believe her every word. Forget hypnotic, the faerie was positively mesmerizing. I don't know if it was the ring, her eyes, or those incredible words dripping from her lips in that amazing voice… but… wow…

Every warning I'd ever heard about the dangers of dark faeries' manipulation powers, every bad experience I'd ever had at the hands of a dark faerie, every story I'd ever read of a dark faerie's rampage… they all completely flew out of my mind as if they had never existed there in the first place.

"Never again…" she whispered silkily in that entrancing voice, leaning forward until all my eyes could see were her own. "Complete and absolute freedom…"

Maybe? Just _maybe_?

She set a graceful hand on my head, smiling.

"Twenty-four hours," she whispered in delight. "And you'll be all mine…"

And suddenly she was gone.

But the ring remained on my right paw.

I slumped to the floor, suddenly weak and trembling. Bad. Very bad. As in, not good at all. I didn't want to be a dark faerie's servant. Certainly not… not if becoming so meant I was… was _evil._

"It's not true…" I mumbled aloud to myself.

_You know it is_, part of my mind argued.

"Fyora absolved me of all blame…"

_That doesn't mean you never were to blame._

"I was barely more than a kitten! I didn't know what was going on!"

_Excuses, excuses. How pathetic._

"I'm not evil," I whispered desperately. "I don't want this… this whatever it means!"

_You want to forget. To forget all those victims. Your victims. Isn't that wish itself evil? _

_That's why the ring won't come off. Because you'll never forget, no matter how much you want to._

_So why not accept it? Face reality. Stop hiding behind Fyora and stand up for yourself for once in your pathetic life._

I rubbed my eyes with my paws. My head ached. I felt like I was being brainwashed by myself. Like my own mind was against me.

_"It affixes itself to you through your own dark thoughts and emotions…"_ Jhudora had said.

I began shivering. Maybe some part of me really was trying to take over…

How do you fight yourself? Should I even try?

_Accept the truth. It's not a bad deal…_

Only half aware of what I was doing, I fumbled to my rear paws and over to the front of my store. I flipped the sign to closed, locked the door, and shut the blinds. Then I stumbled to my tiny back room and collapsed onto a sofa I'd just finished reupholstering.

How do you fight yourself?

Do I even want to?

_Accept the truth._

This is all my fault.

_Is that really a bad thing?_

* * *

><p>"Where is everyone?" I asked one of my co-researchers as I entered our lab.<p>

The white Alien Aisha ignored me. Of course he did. That wasn't anything new.

"EXCUSE ME?" I demanded loudly.

He rolled his eyes. "Morning, pipsqueak."

I gestured around the pretty much empty lab. "Where is everyone else? All the Grundos? Marco, Celine, Trish, Davey? I wanted to ask them…"

The Alien Aisha smirked, his eyes cold and mocking. "They're gone."

"They've been reassigned?" I asked innocently.

He laughed. Something about it forbade me from joining in. In fact, it kind of made me want to turn tail and run back to my room to hide under the cot…

"Where are they?" I asked fearfully, suddenly trembling.

"It was time to test that precious XG12C of yours. Dr. Sloth is an impatient person."

Huh?

"N-no. I told him. I told you. It's not ready. I'm still working on balancing the…"

He glanced over at me out of the side of his eyes and smirked before returning to his research. Or rather, pretending to. We both knew I was the only one that did any actual work around here.

It couldn't be true. If it was…

"It's not ready!" I repeated desperately.

"Too late," he chuckled. "Besides, it worked like a charm. Quite the formidable army now. Too bad about all the negative mental backlash."

It couldn't be true. He had to be lying… another one of those 'mess with the freak' games. Frank wouldn't do that to me. He wouldn't jump the gun before I gave the go ahead. Right?

Please let me be right… because otherwise I'll never be able to live with myself.

It couldn't be true. Marco. Celine. Trish. Davey. They'd treated me just like any other researcher. They actually _talked_ to me. I'd _never_ felt like a freak in their company. They'd _never_ _once_ commented on my missing earstalks or lack of height or the difference in age between everyone else and me…

I dashed over to my station and quickly hacked into the Space Station's security mainframe. It couldn't be true. I'd prove it wasn't true.

My friends. They snuck me out to play Gormball. They'd treated me to the very finest at Grundo's Café. We'd laughed and played and talked and… and…

I pulled up every camera view on my three large screens. All the halls and corridors were completely empty. All of the main rooms too. I'd never seen the likes of such emptiness on the Virtupets Space Station.

There was only one view that showed anyone. Central. Central showed Dr. Sloth, backed by an unrecognizable mutant army, facing off the Space Faerie. She stood all alone. As I watched, she held up her arms in surrender.

"No," I mumbled, my hopes crumbling. "He promised me he wouldn't. That those rumors were lies. I thought…"

My co-researcher glanced at me and chuckled again. "Congratulations, by the way. You really are a genius, freak. Never could have done it without you."

I numbly began collecting all my notes, then gave up with the sheer enormity of facing all my work. I couldn't possibly carry it all. What I was even trying to do, I didn't know. My arms dropped to my sides, letting my armload of files and schematics and notebooks drop to the ground carelessly.

I felt sick. This couldn't actually be real.

I couldn't have actually done something so horrible. Surely my Neopian friends weren't in that mob of freakish mutants…

Who was I trying to kid?

This was all my fault. My fault, for being too curious about what should never be tampered with. For making friends with people who should never be trusted. For trying so stupidly hard to gain the acceptance of those around me.

_"Negative mental backlash_."

I knew what he meant. After all, I knew exactly which part of my formula was incomplete. If I hadn't known, the mindless and warped expressions staring back at me from the computer screen would've been enough of an answer.

My formula had destroyed their minds.

I'd killed them.

I fled the lab to the sound of my co-researcher's cruel laughter and returned to my assigned quarters, right next door. I collapsed on my cot.

I was 14 solar years old. I was a genius recognized by the Madam Commander herself and recruited into the Alien Aisha Military two years ago at an incredible and record-setting 12 solar years. I had been on active duty as a researcher and espionage agent for about a year now. I had immediately been set to work dealing with the Neopian criminal underworld as well as given free rein to pursue my scientific interests…

I was a complete and total idiot.

A puppet.

A monster.

I started crying.


	2. Chapter 2

I awoke in my shop to someone pounding on the door. It was dark. A glance at a lit-up NST clock on the wall told me it was 7 pm NST.

Jhudora had come around 3 pm NST. If she was to be believed… I held up my right paw and stared at the ring.

Twenty hours left.

"DeSoni! I know you're in there! I can hear you breathing!" called out Rocky, my best friend.

Rocky is a super-powered red Ruki. The superpowers are my fault – another stupid mishap to add to my rather long list. I tested the complete version of XG12C on him. And somehow it had fused instead of only lasting a few hours like it was meant to.

Wow. I really can't do anything right. Friend? I should be his worst enemy. I turned him into a freak like me. At least he looks normal… so far. Who knows what other miscalculations I made. I didn't anticipate the fusing… how could I be so sure that it wouldn't turn him into a monster in the future?

After all, it was the unfinished XG12C that mutated thousands of Grundos and Neopians during Dr. Sloth's rebellion… and even since then. Versions of the potion are still regularly circulated on the black market.

And, as always, it's all my fault.

I smiled slightly. How stupid this all was. What was I so worried about? He got superpowers out of the deal,_ just as those mutants had strength and abilities many times what their previous forms had been capable of…_

_The science behind it all is fascinating… Maybe if I had…_

"DeSoni – are you okay?" called out Rocky's voice, now with a touch of anxiety.

A touch of irritation worked its way into my skull at having my thinking process interrupted, but I quickly shoved it aside. This was Rocky, after all. Of course he was worried. I was constantly getting myself into trouble, and dragging him along with me. Selfishly pulling him into danger to satisfy my own insatiable curiosity.

_Whatever. We had fun, right? Not like he held a grudge or anything. Not like he brought it up every other day… Yeah, right. He always does that annoying 'told you so' thing. How irritating. Why are we friends again?_

"I'm fine," I grumbled, finally getting up from the couch. "Coming, coming."

Rocky was silent. When I swung open the door, he grabbed me in his claws and hefted me way up to his eye level. While I'm inordinately on the smallish side, my friend is abnormally tall.

_Honestly. You'd think a 'friend' wouldn't rub it in all the time._ _He knows I have a complex about my height! I bet those stupid scientists back on my homeworld messed me up with all those stupid tests and experiments they ran on my in my childhood. If you can even call life mostly spent strapped to an operating table a 'childhood'. _

"What is my name?" Rocky asked slowly, his huge eyes staring into mine.

"Rickster_Rocker, you idiot. Now put me down!" I demanded. Part of me was stunned at the ferocity in my tone, but a growing part just didn't care. _After all, how dare he ask such a stupid question?_

But why was I so mad about his concern? Concern is a sign people care about you, right?

Rocky's grip tightened and his eyes focused on my face, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Well, I suppose being irritable_ is_ rather out of the ordinary for me. _I always play the idiot, after all. Heh, funny, since I'm usually with_ _this big idiot._

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

"Moron," I grumbled. "Can't even recognize me?"

Rocky's eyes widened with pain at my insult. And it hit me that this was wrong.

It stung, seeing the hurt on his face. Stung enough to shove my annoyance back to the rear of my mind. Enough to make me feel guilty.

He didn't deserve that. What on Neopia had I been thinking? What on Neopia had I _not_ been thinking? Because I certainly hadn't been thinking about my best friend.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing myself back into... well, myself. "I'm sorry, Rocky. That was uncalled for."

That was better. That sounded more like me. I suddenly remembered what he was doing here.

"Oh! I completely forgot we were going to see that new film at the Movie Theatre! I completely lost track of the time!" My eyes went again to the clock. "Man, I'm sorry! Entirely my bad."

He relaxed a little and set me back down. Then his eyes narrowed as he spotted the ring on my right paw.

"What's that?" he demanded.

I held up my right paw to examine the ring.

You know, it really was awfully beautiful. So obviously handcrafted by a skilled faerie artisan…

_Accept the truth. You'll feel so much better._

"A gift," I responded casually.

Rocky gave me a strange look. Puzzled and suspicious at the same time.

I grinned. "Hey, she was cute."

He tried to smile, but it just didn't come out right.

_Why am I hanging out with this loser? His IQ is, what, 80? _

This time I frowned and smacked the heel of my paw against the side of my head. That last thought was just WRONG. It did NOT belong in my head. If it had come from anyone else, I would've tried to beat them up… Well, pull a mean prank of some sort on them, since my trying to beat someone up would probably be on par with a 3 year old in a tickle fight… Make that, _losing_ a tickle fight…

I'm pathetic.

_Well, I could do some serious damage if I just…_

No no no. Not falling for that one. That totally falls in the evil category, which I AM NOT.

Rocky was looking at me funny, so I pasted on a resigned and apologetic smile and plopped down into one of the many chairs in front of a table lined with broken miscellaneous gadgets, furnishings, and toys. I grabbed whatever was closest to hand and started fixing it. Mostly… yeah, I'll admit it was mostly to avoid meeting Rocky's accusing eyes. If he saw my face he would totally catch on that something was wrong.

_Well, not really 'wrong', just a little… different._

This time I ignored the stupid voice. "Totally lost track of time," I said casually, managing to sound a little stressed and behind schedule. "Got to finish up here, then we'll head out." Even for me, I was talking way too fast. Trying to block out that weird voice that sounded so suspiciously like myself in a _really_ bad mood.

"Tell you what, you go ahead and I'll catch up. Miss Dalino is picking this whatnot up tomorrow at 6 for her daughter's son-in-law's wedding, and I totally haven't even gotten…"

Oh, Fyora, I sound like an idiot… an idiot so obviously trying to change the subject…

"You sure you're okay, Soni?" asked Rocky uncertainly.

Well, I was acting weird. Even for a freak like me.

"Fine, fine."

Yeah, that's it. Can't get him involved this time. I totally got this. _Not like he could help anyway._

"Well, if you say so… I'll grab a smoothie and see you in front of the theatre in an hour. Sound good?"

"No prob. See ya," I replied, waving dismissively.

He frowned, but finally left. Undoubtedly glancing over his shoulder every couple seconds.

…

_As if. Why should I waste my time seeing a movie with an overprotective, talentless, oversized Ruki? All he IS is a mistake! The only thing going for him is those superpowers I gave him on accident._

I growled at myself and glared at the ring.

"Shut up!" I whispered fiercely, not sure any longer if it directed at myself or the ring. Since, you know, it's really hard to actually scold yourself… That and arguing with yourself totally falls in the 'crazy' category. But this voice was just going too far! No way was I gonna let comments like that slide!

"He's my best friend! He's got a great personality, and a… a…" My mind blanked. Or rather, the part of me that wanted to defend Rocky fell short.

_Surely that's not all?_

"Of course it's not! He's just a great guy, okay? And it's not _his_ fault he has superpowers! XG12C didn't work right."

Yeah. It's my fault. He's just a normal Neopian. If it weren't for me…

_I don't like Neopians. They make me look bad. _

"That's NOT true. Neopians are far nicer than Alien Aishas ever were to me. They've done far more for me in a handful of years than the Alien Aishas did in my whole life."

_That's why I HATE Alien Aishas. _

"That's stupid. I _am_ an Alien Aisha. You can't hate what you are…"

I can't hate them. Right? I don't hate anyone. But… I can't deny what they did to me.

They did experiments on me, starting literally just hours after my birth. Just because I looked like a Neopian. Even after DNA and blood testing proved me an Alien Aisha and my parents' kitten beyond any doubt. I still have the scars, which I've never showed anyone, though I suspect Fyora knows. _I've seen the pity in her eyes. Looking down on me._

_Because of what they did to me, to a defenseless kitten, I have those horrible nightmares._

"No. I don't have those anymore. Haven't in years…"

_Liar. I've never gone more than a month without jolting awake in a cold sweat. And it's only gotten worse since that time that creep Galba caught me…_

I don't want to think about that. I want to think about something else. Gotta find something else to distract myself…

_I hate the feeling of laying on an operating table. The cold metal against my back, the thick straps binding my paws and body in place… I wonder if those scientists and doctors have ever had to lie on that table for hours on end, unable to move, knowing your cries will be ignored or downplayed… as whatever the huge monsters hovering over you are doing is SO much more important than how much pain you're in…_

Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Not thinking about this. Things worked out well in the end, I was saved, Geiger…

_Geiger's a weak-willed fool that had the NERVE to call himself my best friend. He didn't stand up for me ONCE in college. What, just 'cause he was my roommate and didn't actively torture me on a daily basis I was supposed to be grateful and jump to save his stupid hide? Pah! He got captured because he's a politician now, of all things. All words, no action. _

"Shut up," I growled, grabbing my drooping earstalks and squeezing, hoping the pain would distract me. "I don't blame Kregor. He's shy, not weak. There's a difference. And he's been trying so hard to change things…"

_Too little too late. Doesn't help me any. Doesn't mean I'll ever get to go home again. Doesn't mean my parents will ever love me. Doesn't mean I'll ever get a single apology from any of my own people who cut me open when I was baby to try figure out what was wrong with me. _

"Not right," I whispered aloud. My voice was shaking. I realized my eyes were shut tight and opened them, glaring at the stupid ring. "That's not right!"

_Liar. _

"Shut up!"

_I'm all alone. Pah, that idiot Ruki. For a second I'd thought he'd noticed something was wrong. That maybe, just maybe, he was special. A real friend. Then he runs off to get a smoothie while I'm trying not to go insane. And that 'family' of mine is no better…_

"SHUT UP!" I screamed, grabbing the first thing that came to paw, a glass vase, and flinging it against the wall. "STOP PRETENDING YOU'RE ME!"

_Wow, I'm pathetic. I know it's just me. A part of me I used to try so hard not to listen to._

"NO!" I screamed, throwing another vase, then a plate, then a lamp, some Virtupets gizmo. "No! It's not! I'm not like that!"

_I don't want to admit that I'm the one in the wrong! So here I am, throwing a temper tantrum like a kitten!_

My paws shook. The next object I was about to chuck slipped from them and smashed into the floor. My knees gave out and I fell to the ground, finally noticing the damage I'd just caused.

I'd just shattered items I'd spend hours repairing for clients. Clients who trusted me to do my job.

Can I not even do such a simple job right? Must I fail at _everything_? Why does everything have to be _my fault_?

I stared at the pieces for a while. What a mess. _It wasn't worth cleaning. _

_What was I doing as a shop owner in the first place? What possessed me to become the neighborhood Mr. Fix-It? It doesn't suit me. _

_Me, with my off the charts intelligence that frightened the Madam Commander herself. With my genius skill at chemistry, biology, physics, mechanics, and oh so much more! ME, the creator of the brilliant potion XG12C and countless other formulas doubtless still used by the Alien Aisha Military today – for the simple reason that they could find nothing superior to what I had made!_

"It's not my fault. None of this is my fault. They _used_ me. I did nothing wrong and they _ruined_ me."

Wait… that's…

_That's right. There's no reason to punish myself. It was never my fault to begin with. Whatever I did was their fault for turning me into this!_

But… shouldn't I have…?

_Stop. Don't go there. Nothing was my fault. It was all their fault. They used me, then they blamed me when their wicked plans backfired_.

Yeah… that's right…

_How DARE they use me? ME? Reduced to a shopkeeper, in the care of a human, pretending to be a Neopian, having to rely on faeries for protection instead of myself. Having to wear a disguise and lie about what I was, who I was, just so I could be accepted, so I could be 'normal'. Why should I be ashamed for something THEY did? Why should they be allowed to pretend I don't exist while I've lost everything?_

"I'll get them for this."

_Yes, that's what I'll do. They deserve it. It's about time. _

I felt a smirk curl my lips. "And I've got some great ideas too…"

Time for some fun, Sonix style…


	3. Chapter 3

I grabbed a duffle bag and threw in stuff I'd need, lastly emptying my till into it. Thirty thousand NP, that should go a ways.

I hefted the bag over my shoulder and turned around to see Jhudora in the doorway.

"My, and you still have 19 hours left."

"I won't be your servant." Then I grinned. "But I have no problem with a sponsor. You understand I don't want to be found. Geniuses work best alone and all that."

She smiled back. "Sounds fun. Who are we going after?"

"The Alien Aisha Military. The Alien Aisha homeplanet. Dr. Frank Sloth. The Virtupets Space Station. And several annoying Neopian organizations with ties to the blackmarket. I may have to incapacitate a few Neopian intelligence agencies while I'm at it."

* * *

><p>And that's how I found myself in front of R.O.A.M. Headquarters, a duffle bag over one shoulder, a cheerful dark faerie at my side, holding a dark shield around us.<p>

"So, where are we?" asked Jhudora.

"ROAM HQ. One of the organizations I mentioned. Fully outfitted."

"Never heard of them."

"I never said they were successful. Quite the opposite. Though you can't blame the guys – incapable of creative thinking, quite literally." I smirked as some rather ridiculous memories returned to me. Robots On A Mission… yeah, a name really does tell a LOT about an organization.

"So what can I do for you?" she asked, looking quite eager. "Clear out the base?"

"No need," I replied casually, shifting my bag to a more comfortable position. "Make yourself scarce. Come back in, say, three hours."

She grinned. "By then you'll have less than 16 hours left. Sure you won't have a meltdown?"

"Worried about li'l ol' me? You needn't bother," I said dismissively, beginning to head towards the entrance.

"I don't like my toys getting wrecked before I get a chance to play with them," she said teasingly.

I don't like teasing.

I froze and turned to glare at her. "Call me a toy again, and I'll be adding your name to my list."

She just smiled. "Fine, fine. See you in three. I'll be keeping an eye on you, so call if anything comes up."

I ignored her and walked up to what passed for the front door. I made a face at the 'hidden' security camera and knocked on the door.

"Don't bother ignoring me, guys! I know you don't sleep!"

The metal section of wall I stood in front of slid aside and a large robot Kyrii stared down at me with unblinking red eyes.

"Entrance authorization key?" it asked in a typical robotic monotone. Only a robot could make asking for a password sound complicated… or an Alien Aisha, come to think of it.

"Don't need it."

"Unacceptable. Initiating – "

"I know your boss. Connect and run sweep on Derek Sonix."

I watched as those unblinking red eyes flickered, then swept up and down me in a full scan.

"Identity confirmed. Welcome, Derek Sonix. I will escort you to master now."

* * *

><p>Of course I had no intention of playing with a bunch of revolutionary wannabe robots. I stopped in front of the first computerized wall panel I came to.<p>

My escort turned, having noticed that I'd stopped moving.

Before he could say anything, I did.

"Override 100101011100101100. Order shutdown, code 56940831J. Authorization A26911085324. Timed reset, indefinite. Initiate."

The robot's eyes went dark and he keeled over.

"Typical robots," I laughed, turning back to the wall panel. "Change the entry pass-codes for their hideouts every hour, but never bother to patch the holes in their own software. Memorize the programming code and you can do anything you want."

I finished wiping out and resetting their hideout's main computer, sent the very code I'd just commanded the entry guard through the main system, then felt a bit hungry. Since, obviously, robots don't need normal food, I ordered pizza and a liter of Achyfi for delivery. Charged it to Jhudora's Neocash account – she really should change her pin. 3-8-4-5 (E-V-I-L) is just WAY too obvious.

* * *

><p>While I waited for the pizza, I found the mainframe of the building's computer and network system. Having already reset and cleared the system, it was an easy matter to set up everything the way I wanted and set up a few very special programs.<p>

The pizza came. After the delivery boy left, I opened my bag, took out a handful of tools, and sat down to play with some of the spare parts lying around while I waited for my programs to finish. I got bored waiting after about half an hour and settled down for another nap.

* * *

><p>I hate my life.<p>

_"Don't you want to be accepted? Appreciated? Valued?"_

Well, duh. Of course. Since I was born I've been a freak.

"Hey, freak!"

See?

A fellow Alien Aisha researcher ran over to me. A perfectly normal Alien Aisha, blue, average size, four earstalks, silver uniform, look of disgust on his face, condescension in his voice…

"Where do you think you're going, freak? You're supposed to be working on that formula!"

Oh, the one you're going to take full credit for?

"I finished the formula last night, sir. And Lieutenant Galba paged me."

"Oh," he said thoughtfully, then a strange smirk flicked across his face. "Well, hurry back. Don't forget that other project is due next week, pipsqueak."

"Yes, sir."

As if I didn't know. I bet I know far more about the projects our 'team' is working on that that idiot. Especially since I do roughly 98% of the work out of the five of us. On top of the other work Galba has for me.

_"Don't you want people to be happy you look like a Neopian?"_

With all due respect, Madam Commander, playing messenger-boy to a bunch of criminals wasn't what I had in mind.

After all, I _am_ an Alien Aisha, regardless of what I look like. What would make me happiest would be being treated like an equal by the others I work with. I thought the situation in college was bad. What, by Jierdana, had me thinking the military would be better?

"Still miserable, loser?"

Yeah. That's my partner, alright. "Hi, Galba."

"Lieutenant."

"But we're partners?"

"Like I care, freak. Address me properly."

It is SO hard not to roll your eyes in situations like this. But I could do _without_ a beating to top of this wonderful day, thank you very much.

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant Galba."

Apparently I couldn't keep quite all my emotion out of my voice, because I saw the smirk crawl up his face.

"Now, now, no reason to be all sorry for yourself. It's not your fault…"

Oh, please. Not this again.

"Not_ your_ fault you're a freak with two earstalks, an incredibly stupid, airhead personality, a total midget, and – oh yeah, how old are you again?"

"Fourteen solar years, Lieutenant Galba."

"Exactly. Half, or even less, of the age of most of the AAM's agents. But, hey, you're a genius so the Madam Commander favored you. I'll bet everyone's just jealous."

I almost wanted to giggle at the stupidity of that, though I certainly couldn't with Galba's eyes laughing so cruelly. Jealous? Of the freak, the pushover, the total loser of the entire Virtupets-stationed department? That'll be the day.

I looked around and realized we were heading down a rather dark hallway in the innermost parts of Virtupets Space Station. And I suddenly remembered all the gossip by the Grundos that worked with our unit that Dr. Sloth was having a meeting for all sorts of Neopian villains today…

_No Way._

But sure enough, that's exactly where we ended up.

"Galba – what are we _doing _here?" I asked fearfully, looking around at the pillars of crime and evil in all of Neopia. Dr. Sloth, Jhudora, Malkus Vile, Elive Thade, the Jelly Chia, the Lab Ray Scientist – villains of every size, shape, type, or whatever imaginable.

He didn't bother to correct me for forgetting to use his title – I guess the sweat collecting on my face was enough to satisfy him. "Relax, freak. We're Alien Aisha Military Agents. We fit right in. Besides, we're expected."

I turned and glared way up at my partner. That large, handsome red Alien Aisha lieutenant, brimming with military confidence. "We're not evil, Galba! What would the Madam Commander think?"

"Whose orders to you think I'm following, genius?" He glared hostilely down at me, but I was used to that. "She was very clear that she wanted you to attend this meeting with me. Why else would I bring the likes of _you_ along?"

That 'you' was loaded with so much spite, it slightly alarmed me. Not that it was anything I wasn't used to, growing up a freak 'Neopian' midget on the Alien Aisha homeworld.

Galba's probably right to think I only survived thanks to my intellect catching the Madam Commander's attention. It really is a shame, you know? He's a great officer.

Galba rolled his eyes at my lack of response and shoved open the glass doors. I took a deep breath, then hurried after the large red Alien Aisha.

A purple Grundo held up a hand to block our way. "Names and titles," he said in a monotone.

"Lieutenant Commander Terran Galba, Alien Aisha Military."

The Grundo made nodded casually and jotted the name down on a clipboard.

"Special Research and Espionage Agent Derek Sonix," I said.

The Grundo raised his eyebrows and looked downwards. Honestly, I don't think he'd even seen me before I spoke up. And now he had no idea what to make of me.

"Alien Aisha Military," I added, really wishing I looked half the AAM agent Galba did.

The Grundo stifled a laugh as he wrote my name on his list. Galba sneered down at me and we entered the private meeting.

Galba leaned down and whispered my instructions. "Talk to Dr. Sloth. Jierdana's orders. He's expecting you." Then he stood up military-straight, fixed his uniform, and went over to Jhudora to fill out his own mission.

I gulped and looked around. Wasn't hard to spot a giant green man with spiky hair in a long black cloak. He was the host of this little assembly, after all.

What would he think? A tiny yellow Alien Aisha, minus two earstalks, barely a teenager…? What was the Madam Commander thinking?

I approached him. No getting around the Madam Commander's orders. "Sir?" I asked politely, quite proud that I hadn't stuttered.

He glanced down. Down. Down. Way down, about halfway to his knees. Man, I felt like a kitten.

Then he smiled. It actually was quite friendly. He really had been expecting me, apparently.

Dr. Sloth took a seat and gestured to the one next to him. I climbed up into it and sat.

Much closer to eye level now, kind of, he smiled again and introduced himself. "Dr. Frank Sloth. Pleased to meet you, Agent Sonix."

"Uh… thanks. You too."

"I've heard a bit about you from dear Jierdana. Such a beautiful Alien Aisha, and brilliant too. A real eye for potential, and she sees quite a bit in you."

How strange. He seemed so friendly. You'd never think that the rumors of him planning an attack on the Space Faerie could possibly be true.

I actually blushed a little. "She may have overestimated a bit."

"Oh? What do you have to say to these two little words: genetic manipulation."

My smile grew and I relaxed. "And, if I may ask, how do _you_ happen to know my current field of research?"

"Jierdana told me. Seems the two of us have a lot in common." He smiled cheerfully and pulled a notebook from his cloak.

I took it and flipped it open. "Genetic Manipulation of Neopets" was written across the first page in large block letters.

The following pages were fascinating. I forgot where I was. Sketches of possible outcomes, outlines of genetic sequences and codes, general notes, several advanced formulae.

I finished and looked up at Dr. Sloth's anticipatory face. "Very interesting. You're only missing one thing."

Dr. Sloth blinked in surprise. "And what would that be?"

I laughed, a simple good-natured laugh. "Ideas are great. Research is wonderful. But you have no methodology set out. No science. You're going to need chemicals, tools, all sorts of equipment, not to even mention the general know-how."

He laughed cheerfully. Not a mad scientist laugh, just a normal laugh. "I was hoping you'd say that!"

I patted the notebook. "Basically, you just want to heighten and advance certain genes, right? Enhanced intellect, strength, speed, endurance – things like that, right?"

"Of course! I'm not going to discover a way to make a Neopet shoot lasers from their eyes – excepting robot Neopets, of course."

We both laughed. What can I say? Scientist joke.

"Well, that's easy enough," I replied. "May take a while to get it exactly right, though…"

I smiled and rested my head on my paw, my mind already swimming with ideas.

Then I remembered Galba's sneer. And those rumors…

"That's okay," agreed the doctor casually. "I'm in no hurry."

I frowned. "Um, no offense, Dr. Sloth, but what exactly are you planning?"

"Oh, purely curiosity. We won't even test anything with volunteers until you give us the go-ahead. What do you say? You can continue working from your current lab and all. Just look into this, hmm?"

He held out the notebook. I belatedly realized the assembly was over and it was just the two of us and Galba left in the room.

It was possible. I knew it was.

"You don't even need to ask," I replied excitedly, taking the notebook.


End file.
